The Phillies are infusing youth with Justin Crawford and Andrew Painter. No pressure, but they ‘need ’em.’

Upon arriving for spring training last month, Bryce Harper held court with reporters for about 15 minutes to discuss his offseason, the state of the Phillies, and more.

The first three teammates he mentioned, in order:

Aidan Miller.

Justin Crawford.

Andrew Painter.

“New blood, man,” Harper said, referring not to his alternative offseason therapy but rather the Phillies’ top-prospect trio. “It’s good. I think being able to have a group of guys that are fresh faces coming in is good for us.”

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OK, no pressure, guys.

Last year, the Phillies had the second-oldest collection of position players (average age: 30.3) and seventh-oldest pitching staff (30) in the majors. And the cast of Thirtysomething, the baseball version, is back to take another run at an elusive World Series crown.

But for the first time since 2022, the Phillies are also set to finally infuse (to extend Harper’s hematic theme) the roster with youth. And it’s like a sugar rush for a team that, let’s face it, has been together now for quite a while.

Start with Crawford, who will take over in center field 2½ months after turning 22. The son of former All-Star outfielder Carl Crawford, he was the Phillies’ first-round pick (17th overall) in 2022 and a .300 hitter at every level of the minor leagues.

Then there’s Painter, drafted one year before Crawford and also in the first round (13th overall). He will make his long-awaited major-league debut Tuesday night, 10 days shy of his 23rd birthday, with a start against the Nationals at Citizens Bank Park.

Assuming Crawford plays center field that night, it will be the first time the Phillies started two under-23 players in a game since Sept. 18, 2020 (Mickey Moniak and Rafael Marchán). They haven’t had an under-23 starting pitcher and position player in a game since Aug. 7, 2015 (Aaron Nola and Maikel Franco).

Crawford and Painter represent $780,000 weights on the opposite end of the barbell from five $20 million-plus salaries in an overall payroll that projects to be about $317 million, as calculated for the luxury tax. Jesús Luzardo will join those ranks beginning next season when, once baseball’s labor unrest is settled, the Phillies will have $216.8 million committed to nine players.

It’s imperative, then, for Crawford and Painter — and eventually Miller, the 21-year-old infielder and top prospect who didn’t swing a bat in spring training because of persistent lower back pain — to contribute more than the Phillies have gotten recently from young players.

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In 2022, Bryson Stott and Matt Vierling started 118 and 90 games, respectively, as rookies. Since then, though, the Phillies have had only 12 major-league debutants, fewer than any team over the last three seasons, based on FanGraphs research.

They’re about to have two in a six-day span.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how these guys are,” Kyle Schwarber said recently. “It’s fun getting to watch Crawford take his at-bats. You see Painter throwing his lives [batting practice] and seeing how that’s been coming along. I’m excited to see how the two-years-after-Tommy-John [surgery] thing goes for him because he’s got great stuff.

“It’s fun to see these kids come up, and you want them to have instant success right away. It’s what we need.”

Sure. But what’s a realistic expectation?

When he makes his debut Thursday, against Rangers righty Nathan Eovaldi, Crawford will be the youngest Phillies outfielder in an opening-day lineup in more than a half-century, since Greg Luzinski and Mike Anderson in 1972.

But by modern hitting standards, he’s an old soul.

At a time when everyone is preoccupied with manipulating swings to launch the ball in the air at the precise angle to hit it out of the ballpark, Crawford hits the ball on the ground with extreme frequency.

How extreme? Consider: Crawford’s ground ball rate last season in triple A was 59.4%. And although that was down from 60.9% in 2024 and 69.7% in 2023, it still would’ve easily led the majors, topping Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich (56.7%). Only eight hitters among 145 who qualified for the batting title topped even 50%.

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“My entire life has always been, at least what I’ve been taught, is hit the ball hard,” said Crawford, who trains in the offseason with personal hitting coach Mike Easler, a .293 hitter in 14 major-league seasons. “Whether it’s a ground ball, line drive, or what it is, consistently put hard, good contact on the ball.”

And Crawford makes a lot of contact. His strikeout rate in triple A last season was only 18%. Major-league average was 22.2%. Phillies hitters averaged 21.7%.

Crawford has a sprinter’s speed and a head start to first base from the left-handed batter’s box, so good things tend to happen when he puts the ball in play. One thing that triple-A hitting coach Adam Lind noticed last season: “Whenever a defender has to take one step away from first base, that usually means he’ll be safe.”

In spring training, Crawford made an impact with his speed. Although his hard-hit rate was 40%, slightly less than league-average (42.6%), he legged out three infield hits, including one bunt single. (He also tripled down the right-field line last week against the Tigers’ Tarik Skubal, the best lefty in baseball.)

So, Crawford isn’t about to change anything now.

“It’s been something where I take note of, yeah, maybe I hit more ground balls than people would like, but I also know that’s kind of my game, too,” Crawford said. “I’m not just going to go and completely revamp my swing to try to hit the ball in the air and hit home runs. I’m going to play my game and be gap to gap. And then, when I [hit] it a little bit more out front, it may carry over the fence.

“That’s kind of just what I’ve always been taught.”

How will it translate at the major-league level? ZiPS, one notable public-facing projection model, pegs Crawford for a .286 average, .337 on-base percentage, .390 slugging, and 103 wRC+ (weighted runs created plus; 100 is average).

The Phillies would sign for that.

“He doesn’t have to do too much,” manager Rob Thomson said. “Just put the ball in play. Because he creates so much chaos and puts so much pressure on the defense. If he just stays on those lefties, he’s going to get his hits.”

This whole thing was supposed to happen three years ago.

The Phillies invited Painter to major-league camp in 2023 with a chance to grab a spot in the starting rotation. He started one exhibition game, suffered a torn ligament in his right elbow, had surgery, missed two seasons, and struggled last year in triple A.

So, instead of becoming the Phillies’ first teenage starting pitcher since Mark Davis in 1980, Painter will be their youngest starter since Ranger Suárez on Aug. 16, 2018.

» READ MORE: Andrew Painter is ready, three years later than he expected. And maybe that’s a ‘blessing in disguise.’

If the rotation was fully loaded, Painter might be back in triple A. But with Zack Wheeler on the road back — albeit it in the fast lane — from surgery to release a vein that was compressed between his collarbone and rib cage, Painter will take a turn after Cristopher Sánchez, Nola, Luzardo, and Taijuan Walker.

Not that Painter didn’t earn it. He pitched well in spring training, including four scoreless innings against the Braves last week. In particular, his fastball command was sharper and his changeup more disruptive. The Phillies got him back to a higher arm slot after it dipped last season and threw off the typical precision with his heater.

He wouldn’t be the first pitcher to come back stronger in the second year after Tommy John surgery.

“I think he’s showing his poise, and he’s showing that he has the mentality of a big leaguer,” Thomson said. “Going through the trials and tribulations that he went through last year has helped him. I know that may sound funny, but it has.“

Neither Painter nor the team has disclosed their goals for his first major-league season. In that case, let’s set our own. How do 120 innings and a 4.50 ERA sound?

Would you believe that only one under-23 pitcher — Paul Skenes, no less — reached both of those thresholds last season? Five pitchers did it in 2024. Two in 2023. Three in 2022.

The point is, it takes time with young pitchers.

“It’s going to be a jump for Painter,” Nola said. “I was in his shoes at one point. We can give him a bunch of information about how X, Y, and Z is going to be in the major leagues, but the real jump for him is just going to be experiencing it all.

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“So far he’s looking really good, man,” Nola said. “He [acts] older than what he is, I feel like. He’s more mature than what he really is. I think that’s definitely a plus. I’m looking forward to watching him more.”

It’s been a long time coming. Not only for Painter, but for any rookie with the Phillies.

“We need ’em,” Harper said.

No pressure.